Reflections from the UK-Africa Investment Summit
Last week’s UK-Africa Investment Summit brought together a wealth of businesses, governments and international institutions to showcase and promote the breadth and quality of investment opportunities across Africa. Involving over 800 delegates, 21 African countries, dozens of side events, and hundreds of meetings, the summit meant that 2020 started with a bang. Having invested in […]
Demystifying Impact Measurement and Management for Inclusive Business
Rabayl, what does it mean to be the Impact Specialist at Business Call to Action? I see my role as a coach and guide, working with inclusive businesses to help them better understand and manage the effects they are having on low income populations, whether they are direct or indirect, positive or negative. Most companies […]
Gender Equality is Everyone’s Business: How Can Companies Engage Men as Allies Across the value chain?
Our new report reveals how companies have a unique opportunity to positively influence gender norms at scale by engaging #MenAsAllies to advance gender equality. The global community has only ten years to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality. Yet reports suggest that at current rates, the target is unlikely to be […]
The Real Meaning of ‘Business with Purpose’
‘Business with a purpose’. ‘Stakeholder capitalism’. ‘An economy with a conscience’. These are the catchphrases I hear on everyone’s lips this week at Davos. We could certainly do with stakeholder capitalism. Capitalism’s great engine of growth has also become one of obscene inequality. This week Oxfam revealed that the world’s billionaires own more wealth than 4.6 […]
Why ESG is Core to Long-Term Success in Venture Capital
Successful VC-backed companies have the potential to create large numbers of jobs and deliver impactful services. This is particularly true in emerging markets where the technology-enabled firms targeted by VC investors can leapfrog market constraints to enable large-scale access to essential products and services, including to under-served groups, and create a path into the formal […]
Refugee Food Entrepreneurship: How the Business Community Can Support Sustainable Livelihoods
The global refugee population is at the highest level on record and there is no sign of the crisis abating. The most common private sector response is donations to address immediate humanitarian needs. But, with the average displacement ranging from 10 to 26 years, support is also needed to build sustainable livelihoods for refugees, especially […]
The Triangle That Will Fix Capitalism
It is remarkable how the agenda in this 50th edition of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting has shifted towards calling for a move to stakeholder capitalism, as issued by Klaus Schwab in the new Davos Manifesto. The theme of the 2020 forum itself is: “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World”. How do we get there […]
Is Davos Signalling the End of Business as Usual?
From the vast bushfires of Australia to the not-so-snowy mountains of Davos, the impacts of climate change are impossible to ignore. This week, the world is watching the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting to gauge how global leaders will react. Government and business leaders are already responding to the need for concrete action – including UK leadership and commercial giant Microsoft – by […]
The Company of the Future Must Do Well by Doing Good
The world has got richer, but one billion people still go to bed hungry. Helping society should be a core part of business, not an add-on. A multistakeholder approach ensures long-term success. In the past 50-100 years, we have created immense prosperity. In 2019, global GDP is expected to reach almost US$ 90,000 billion, compared to […]
The Future For Africa Is Trade Not Aid: Celebrating the UK-Africa Investment Summit
What is the current landscape for trade and investment in Africa? Africa has substantial economic potential. The IMF estimates that Africa is home to eight of the world’s 15 fastest growing economies. By 2050, over 2 billion people will live in Africa and one in four global consumers will be African. These thriving, young, innovative […]
Invictus: A Reflection from Kelley School of Business and Indiana University
Like Gandhi, Nelson Mandela’s life has become a rallying cry for justice, equality and peace. His story is well-known; after decades of imprisonment, he becomes the President of South Africa. As he is leaving prison, he realizes that to not forgive means that he will continue to be in prison and so his presidency is […]
Sustainability and Profitability Can Co-Exist. Here’s How
There is an urgent need for businesses to look beyond the bottom line. Businesses with ESG principles built into their strategy, can mitigate risk and drive profitable growth. The onus lies with business leaders to figure out the right balance between short-term and long-term priorities. As part of my routine interactions with colleagues, industry peers, […]
Top Stories of 2019
While the social impact and business agenda is shaping up for 2020, we first wanted to share the most popular stories we published in 2019 with you. A huge thank you to the authors featured in this list and to all of you who made contributions. We hope these stories inspire you and welcome your submissions this year*. 10 Seven Key Learnings for Corporate Partnership Leads in […]
10 People Who Inspired Me in 2019 and Make Me Optimistic for 2020
We are fast approaching the darkest day in the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice on 22 December. For some, it is tempting to read that as a metaphor for this moment, with the forward march of national populism and continued foot-dragging on climate change. But do not despair. All around us in 2019 have been […]
10 Trends That Should Be on Your Board’s Radar
Ten things that caught my attention on the topic of business and social impact: 1.Climate change goes social: Global CEOs rank it as the biggest threat to business. But it has taken Greta Thunberg leading six million people to strike for the climate on one day to generate a feeling of real action. The global […]
A Year at the Intersection Between Business and Social Impact
Fortunately for me, there was a role on offer supporting Katie Hyson, Director of Thought Leadership and the host of one of the ‘’. I didn’t think twice about accepting. I never imagined I would find myself working at the intersection between business and social impact, and the past twelve months have been beyond eye-opening. […]
Harnessing the Power of Businesses to Advocate for Change
Improving social responsibility requires broad, holistic engagements that reach beyond company walls to influence stakeholders and decision-makers, fostering cross-sector partnerships to drive change. With their size and reach, multinational companies are in a position to influence their peers, investors and political leaders to step up the action for sustainable development. By cooperating with each other, […]
Welcome to Business Fights Poverty Magazine Issue 4: Delivering Impact
Working With Business to Stop Corruption
Bribery and corruption scandals have a major impact on every aspect of a company, from fines and reputational damage to internal issues such as the erosion of staff morale. Furthermore, bribery creates an unequal playing field, syphoning billions out of markets and takes a huge toll on the world’s poorest people. A world without bribery […]
Opportunities in Africa: Innovation and Digital Infrastructure
The world of technology is changing rapidly and the African continent is changing with it. For the first time in history, more than half of the world’s population is using the Internet – of all regions, the strongest growth has been reported in Africa. It is a continent full of hope and innovation, in particular […]